Sports Gambling

Sports and Entertainment Law Insider has been providing analysis of sports gambling since the topic emerged several years ago. In 2018, legislative interest in sports gambling rose to the forefront when the Supreme Court ruled the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act was unconstitutional and overturned the ban on commercial sports betting. The ruling opened the door for states to legalize and regulate the gambling industry within their borders. Since that time, states have introduced or reintroduced legislation related to the legalization of sports gambling,…Continue reading...

On November 28, 2018, the NBA announced that sports data providers Genius Sports and Sportradar will have nonexclusive rights to distribute real-time, official data to licensed sportsbooks in the U.S. This is inclusive of both NBA and WNBA games, including preseason, regular season, and postseason play.
This partnership comes on the heels of “live betting” beginning to take off; indeed, at a recent gaming conference in New York, a FanDuel executive noted that in-game betting amounts to approximately 40% of the amount wagered at its…Continue reading...

On November 16, 2018, Judge Shipp found in favor of the major sports leagues in a claim for damages under an injunction bond.
Previously, the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association (NJTHA) had sought $3.4 million, plus interest and damages, from the NFL, NCAA, NBA, NHL, and MLB. NJTHA claimed that, as a result of Judge Shipp’s 2014 injunction halting NJTHA and Monmouth Park from accepting sports bets, NJTHA suffered damages in excess of $10 million. In response, lawyers for the leagues described the claim…Continue reading...

As we have previously reported, former NCAA football players, Akeem Daniels, Cameron Stingily, and Nicholas Stoner recently filed a lawsuit against Draftkings, Inc. and Fanduel, Inc. In their lawsuit, the former NCAA players allege that Draftkings and Fanduel violated an Indiana state right-of-publicity statute when they used the former players names, images, likenesses, and statistics in online fantasy sports contests. After the case was dismissed in United States District Court, it was appealed to the Seventh Circuit. A Seventh Circuit appellate panel certified the…Continue reading...

NY State Court Judge Connolly ruled on Monday that fantasy sports contests are gambling, thus rendering the state law legalizing their operation unconstitutional. The decision is a major blow to industry leaders like DraftKings Inc. and FanDuel Inc. However, the Justice noted that the decision fails to bind the lawmakers from excluding such contests from the penal law governing anti-gambling regulations.
Plaintiffs brought the suit against Governor Cuomo and the NY State Gaming Commission opposing the law legalizing fantasy sports betting. The law originally legalized…Continue reading...

With the legalization of sports betting underway since May, 2018, the NCAA has announced its plan to establish a committee to oversee “the expansion of legalized sports wagering,” named the Board of Governors Ad Hoc Committee on Sports Wagering.
In December of 2017, the longstanding federal restrictions barring the activity were struck down by Murphy v. NCAA, with the court determining that individual states could decide whether to legalize sports betting. The majority of states are expected to do so, allowing the respective state…Continue reading...

Leaders of the online sports betting arena are putting increasing pressure on Congress to legalize the industry, following the U.S. Supreme Court decision to strike down a law previously preventing states from legalizing online gambling. Lawmakers have pushed back, raising concerns about harms to consumers.
During a hearing Thursday, the U.S. House Judiciary Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations Subcommittee questioned representatives of the gambling industry, voicing particular concern for minors and individuals with gambling addictions. The concern stems from the idea that online…Continue reading...

On July 31, 2018, at the National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL) Bryan Seeley, a senior vice president with Major League Baseball, asked lawmakers to be cautious in the recently legalized sports betting world.
As we have previously reported, in May 2018, the United States Supreme Court struck down a federal statute controlling the states’ ability to regulate sports gambling. In its majority opinion, the court voted to strike down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA). Although PAPSA did not…Continue reading...

On July 19, 2018, the NCAA announced that it was analyzing the impact of legalized sports betting by creating an internal team of experts. The team of experts would exam the long-term effects of legalized sports betting and its impact on college sports, including its impact on officiating, rules, and the used of integrity services. The NCAA said it remains opposed to legalized sport betting and is focused on protecting student-athletes and the integrity of their events. According to NCAA chief legal officer Donald Remy,…Continue reading...

Rhode Island has become the third state to pass sports betting legislation. The Sports Law Insider has previously reported on both Delaware and New Jersey’s approved gambling legislation. Now, on Friday, June 22, Governor Gina Raimondo signed Rhode Island’s fiscal year budget, which included provisions for the state’s two casinos to offer legal sports betting through the Rhode Island lottery.
With the passage of bill H.7200, sports wagering will begin at Twin River Lincoln casino and Twin River Tiverton casino on October 1,…Continue reading...

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